Catch up on all the latest gossip from your friends in the wholesaler space with this handy round-up. And by gossip, we mean announcements (but we promise they’re just as juicy).

APT unveils new way to experience Australia

APT has launched a new style of touring called ‘Luxury Short Breaks’, which promises to provide guests with multi-night stays at luxury lodges and boutique accommodation in remote and beautiful locations.

Your clients will have time to relax and indulge, as well as having the opportunity to discover more about the region they are visiting, all while travelling on board APT’s own fleet of customised luxury 4WD adventure vehicles, which cater for a small-group size of no more than 20 people.

New tours include:

• Six-day Margaret River 4WD Exploration staying at the exclusive Bunker Bay Resort and indulging in the region’s finest wines and produce. Priced from $2,995 per person twin share, including Super Deal saving of $600 per couple.
• Six-day Tasmania Epicurean 4WD Escape which includes two nights at the award-winning Saffire Freycinet luxury lodge. Priced from $6,345 per person twin share, including Super Deal saving of $600 per couple.
• Seven-day South Australia Flinders Ranges & Wineries which includes two nights ‘glamping’ at Ikari Safari Camp in Wilpena Pound. Priced from $2,995 per person twin share, including Super Deal saving of $600 per couple.

The company has reduced deposit amounts to $250 per person, as well as providing a super deal saving of $600 per couple – offer limited and valid until sold out.

APT has also responded to the ever-changing COVID-19 era by implementing ‘Safe Travel’ protocols, including an extensive range of new measures to elevate its hygiene protocols giving guests assurance that they can book and travel with APT in total confidence.

G Adventures launches collection of small-group tours with ‘physical distancing’ measures

G Adventures has launched a new Travel with Confidence Plus Collection featuring 37 trips in 27 countries with additional physical distancing measures, which complement the company’s new Travel with Confidence policy outlining increased hygiene and sanitization across all its tours.

The Travel with Confidence Plus Collection is available for departures from 2 October 2020 up to 31 December 2021.

The new collection includes all the new health and safety measures outlined in the Travel with Confidence policy, plus added steps for travellers looking to go the extra physically-distanced mile:

• Smaller group sizes: All trips will have an average of eight to 10 travellers as opposed to the average group size of 12. This means being able to stay at smaller hotels and dining at smaller restaurants with fewer people around the dinner table.
• Private transport: While G Adventures is using more private transport where possible on all trips, this collection only uses private vehicles (except for planes) with daily assigned seating for added distance on the vehicles.
• My Own Room: This option is available for 50 per cent off across all tours in this collection for people wishing for their own space to relax and sleep.
• More personal space: All rooms on each trip will be either double or single and have en-suite bathrooms. There will be no multi-share accommodation or shared bathroom facilities on any trip in this collection.

The new Travel with Confidence Plus Collection includes trips from G Adventures’ Active, Classic and Marine travel styles, including:

• Melbourne, Outback & Uluru Adventure – Plus: This tour will take your clients on a jaunt from Melbourne to the Red Centre, with a mix of must-see highlights and unique experiences along the way. A 12-day physically-distanced trip is priced from $4,449, travelling from Melbourne to Uluru.
• New Zealand Express – Plus: Guests can explore the stunning North Island and its geothermal park, stargaze around Lake Tekapo (the world’s largest dark sky reserve), and cruise along fjords, cliff walls, and waterfalls in Doubtful Sound. A nine-day physically-distanced trip is priced from $2,634, travelling from Auckland to Queenstown.
• Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City – Plus: Guests can sail through limestone karsts aboard a traditional junk boat and walk the streets of imperial capitals. A 10-day physically-distanced trip is priced from $1,299, travelling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.
• Sailing Thailand – Phuket to Phuket – Plus: With an experienced captain navigating the southern islands, guests will drop anchor at highlights and secret spots perfect for a swim. A seven-day physically-distanced trip is priced from $1,742 per person travelling from Phuket return.

Globus creates new educational video series for trade partners

Globus family of brands (GFOB) has used the COVID-19 downtime to launch a business insights video series for travel agents and travel agency owners across Australia and New Zealand.

Available to watch on GFOB’s agent portal and closed Facebook group, the series covers a range of topics, with the GFOB team sharing their expertise on subjects from digital marketing and social media advertising, to advice on how to create engaging blog content.

Kicking off the series, GFOB Australasia managing director Gai Tyrrell provides insights into how COVID-19 has impacted GFOB, the company’s customer-centric response and steps all companies can take to navigate a crisis.

Travelmarvel’s new issue of Travel Insider out now

The latest edition of Travelmarvel’s quarterly member magazine, Travel Insider, is now available for guests and agents.

Close to home, readers can uncover the spectacles of the Kimberley and step aboard epic rail adventures in New Zealand or venture further afield to Canada’s wilds.

In this edition, readers can also learn about the stunning national parks of Canada’s iconic Rocky Mountains, venture across glaciers, deep canyons, razor-sharp ridges, and more.

Also included is a piece on how Travelmarvel’s new river ships will offer a new standard of cruising when the brand returns to Europe’s waterways.

You can read the issue online here.

African Travel Specialists provides free webinar for agents 

If you’re after a head start on selling African tours when the world gets back to normal, join African Travel Specialists for a series of scheduled webinars of each country in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Presented by Richard Ruskin managing director of African Travel Specialists, he will be sharing his knowledge and passion gained from over 35 years travelling all over Sub-Saharan Africa with over 20 years as a safari & walking guide, guiding safaris in eastern and southern Africa.

Each month during this period, Ruskin will host a presentation focussing on a specific part of Africa. These presentations are interactive and will also include time for questions.

If you are keen to find out more and to advance your knowledge of this fascinating continent, email naomi@thetravelspecialists.net.au.

World Expeditions’ expands NZ guided cycling range with five new North Island itineraries

World Expeditions is fast-tracking its expansion to the North Island with the launch of five new itineraries, in anticipation of robust demand following the lifting of border restrictions.

The new adventures range from an introductory level exploration of the glittering Bay of Islands to a challenging 9-day road cycle from Wellington to Auckland.

The two shortest itineraries are suitable for entry-level riders, including families with older children: the new four-day ‘Twin Coast Hike Bike Splash’ and the three-day ‘Hauraki Rail Trail Cycle’.

A moderate itinerary, the five-day ‘Timber Trail Waikato and Great Lake Trail’, covers almost 200 kilometres of what is often described as the best riding the Central North Island has to offer, alongside Waikato River to the shores of Lake Taupo, through forest, farmland and the volcanic landscapes.

The most challenging new itinerary is the nine-day road cycling ‘North Island Backroads’, which follows a series of New Zealand’s quiet back roads from the capital in Wellington through the Hutt Valley towards the Rimutaka Ranges, through vineyards and rolling coastal and rural roads to Napier, and on through the volcanic landscapes of the Central Plateau to Rotorua and, ultimately, Auckland.